Dune (Imp2)/Portugal
Portugal in was Sweden's chief rival in one game by Sweden using "Dune" as the map key. How might Portugal win? Great Power terrain As noted at Dune (Imp2), most forests produce NO timber, and only three of the MNs export anything, apparently. This map key is quirky. Tough! Game 1 ("Normal" level of difficulty. Started 18 May 2012; readers may guess which human is involved) *1502 our chosen capital has 2 level-2 grain and 4 fish, so we look for a port site near three other grain *Fairly soon we make a speculative capture: Abmear *1522 next to Abmear we take Caribbia - 1 fish, 1 cotton (and more cotton in the province) *1530 even 50% subsidy may fail to buy timber (but later 25% is enough) *1554 adjusting to threatened starvation (i.e. shipping fewer processable items but more fish); our timber purchases occur nearly every turn, so we can extend our road one step every 2 turns since we have a productive iron source; we have been slowly building a road past a sheep farm and our 6th grain farm towards our other port *1564 connect capital to the port that had three grain and one iron being shipped from it - so we can resume shipping the iron and the cotton and build a road towards our 7th grain farm *1576 first military defeat: 1 Arquebusier, 2 Knights (1 KIA) v 4 Spearmen and 2 Archers (rather more than the ship's captain had estimated, although we could see the three tents); to add insult to injury, Spain has just built a gold mine *1588 finally transporting from all our 7 grain farms, total 9 grain *1608 transport 2nd iron; now start road from Caribbia towards 2nd cotton *1612 England builds the first gems mine *1618 Immigration!! and naturally one of the pair reports sick, because we have been shipping only 6 fish for our 6 fish-eaters and have none to spare; as we have 2 surplus grain, we will cut the fish to 5 (for more trade) because having 7 people fit for work is no better than having 6 *1620 shipping 2nd cotton, discover that one of the forests in Abmear will be productive, and find copper in Gazit, which adjoins Eingev, where we had found sugar cane; carrack detaches itself from beachhead (which was no longer any real use because Holland had planted a flag) and heads for Eingev *1626 capture Eingev: Pikeman, Arqeubusier (KIA), Knights v 3 Spearmen (1 KIA), 1 Archer; carrack heads for home to help with trade and fish; raise fish to 6 so we can have 8 workers, because we sometimes want 8 and will soon often want 8 when our timber is shipping *1630 find iron in Boca Raton *1632 examine newly-developed forest: it yields diamonds, not timber!!! Too bad about the timber, but this is a game winner; order Pikeman and Arqubusier because we won't need the 7th and 8th workers as soon as we expected *1636 capture Gazit with no losses: 2 Pik, 1 Arq, 1 Kt v 2 Club (1 KIA), 4 Spear, 1 Archer; status 4th, ranging from 6th in tech up to top in industry and labor *1640 now three nations offering us timber *1648 port in Eingev now producing 3 fish, so we can seriously plan expansion *1650 Royal Wedding improves our relationship with France; order Bowman and Pikeman *1652 Goods Lost in Transportation Disaster, and of course one of our meat-eaters calls in sick; but we have researched Road Construction and start Printing Press (which everyone else has, so it's just 9 turns @ $200) *1654 shipping 1 sugar cane; capture Sioux (province) (3 Pik, 1 Arq, 1 Bow (KIA), 1 Kt v 3 Spear (1 KIA) and 6 Archers): 3 fish, 1 fur, $2,804 - so we can stop selling stuff while we race towards building a Fluyte *1656 find Iron in Taz (and later copper, but Sweden later gets Taz) *1660 Explorer discovers tobacco at Detroit; that's worth chasing. Accept alliance with Sweden. *1662 find coal in Uri - the first coal we've seen. Order Fluyte and 3 peasants *1664 detach 2 carracks and send off to the tobacco region *1666 order two Bowmen *1670 explorers seem to have finished NW except captured areas: start on Old World with Italy and Germany (as Scotland, Ireland, and Switzerland have no swamp, hill, or mountain). Capture Thurston, next to Detroit: 3 Pik, 1 Arq, 1 Bow, 1 Kt v 2 Spear (2k), 2 Archers (1k). Ships head west for the coal and a couple of other capitals. *1672 find coal in Savoy. Order 2 Pikemen (not first choice, but we're short of lumber and bronze), leaving just 4 workers, noting that Sweden is still transporting only 4 grain. *1676 take Detroit: 5 Pik, 1 Arq, 2 Bow, 1 Kt v 5 Spear (3k), 3 Arch (1k).$1,251. 2nd Bowman suffered over 50% damage but others all less damage. *1678 order Fluyte and Peasant. *1684 start shipping 1 copper. Take Cherokee: 3 Pik, 1 Arq, 1 Bow, 1 Kt v 3 Club (3k), 1 Archer (k). $3,087, so we can again stop selling stuff while we buy timber and even lumber to speed the creation of another Fluyte. *1688 Merchant Companies; research Copper and Tin Mining, which 5 others have: "7" ... "200". Take Jacksonville: 9 units v 4 Club (2k), 2 Spear (2k), 2 Archers (2k). Spoils: 1 timber plus $2,133; now we get their timber without paying for it; more importantly, we can develop it and get full value. *1690 order Fluyte. Money's good, so let's start putting some more into Sheep Ranching, now just 7 turns @ 200. *1692 start upgrading the remaining level-1 grain. Ship more fish, to get that side of the food store looking better. We are now #1 overall, while our allies the Swedes, who did well under our guidance a few days ago, are #6. Capture Uri, 6 units v 1 Club k) and 5 Archers (5k). *1694 we weren't counting, but here's the good news: "Military Victories Strengthen New Units". *1698 capture Boca Raton with 6 units, killing both defenders. *1701 now transporting 11 grain. Capture Calusa with 6 units, killing both Clubmen and one of several Horse Archers *1702 after both took a bit longer than the estimates: Copper and Tin Mining and Sheep Ranching: start Precious Stone Mining, "10" ... "200", and Diplomatic Expertise (which all 5 others have, "7" ... "100". Ships head for home because there seems to be no NW province needing them more than our trade does. *1703 Sweden DW on Spain (later indicated as following Spain's DW on England): we honour alliance and join in, finding Holland is with us too. Send two troops each to Detroit, Sioux, and Gazit, leaving useless Thurston empty. No others adjoin Spanish territory except in Portugal itself, where we have a fort and no Spanish troops adjacent. *1704 Three provinces hold against small attacks; Spain gets Thurston free. *1705 order peasant. Defer grain growth for more peasants and forts. Accept alliance with Holland (large and adjacent). *1706 England holds Amir against seaborne attack. *1707 order peasant. *1708 fort at Detroit. Capture unguarded Tappan, giving Detroit another timber. *1709 Gazit and Sioux hold against bigger attacks, with our troops clearly indicating superiority (from all their medals). Capture Brazo with no deaths on either side: it's a beauty: fur, sugar cane, timber, and 8 fish, and it cuts off Spain's gold and we get Animal Husbandry. Holland takes Thurston, removing Spain's possible small threat to Detroit. *1710 Diplomatic Expertise, and towards our National bureaucracy goal we research Money Lending, which four GPs have, and could be ours in about 7 turns @ 200 but we choose 16 turns @ 0. Fort at Abmear protecting the diamonds. *1714 fort at Brazo. Precious Stone Mining. Start Sugar Refining, which four GPs have; could be 7 turns @ 100 but we choose 15 turns @ 0 for now and speed up the Money Lending - 5 @ 200. *1716 Sweden makes peace, breaking alliances. *1717 fort at Sioux. Comfortably buying 2 tin and 1 copper and selling very little. *1718 order 2 peasants (to go up to 10 workers until we decide to build another unit) *1719 Money Lending. National Bureaucracy (which no GP has yet) 11 turns @ 300. Surprising that Sweden hasn't gone for it? But maybe that's a disadvantage of having both of your iron sources within your capital radius - they won't produce cast iron? Our diamonds won't upgrade! - of course: they're in SCRUB forest. *1720 England makes peace and breaks treaty with Holland. Fort at Jacksonville. *1721 order Fluyte *1722 now shipping more fish and nearly everything else we produce, the only exception being just 1/3 fur *1723 Spain capture Gazit: 1 Knights v 1 Pikeman, who fled. Three units next door prepare to evict Spain. *1724 retake Gazit unopposed and gain Improved Cavalry Tactics. Fort at Cherokee. *1726 Sugar Refining; research Apprentice Workers, which four GPs have: 7 turns @ $200. *1727 fort at Caribbia. Spain retakes Gazit: Pik, Arq, Kts v our Kts and Arq, who fled *1728 now 14 grain and 14 meat. Order Arquebusier. Send 2 carracks off to battle. Recapture Gazit and get Improved Sea Routes; amazingly, the Gazit occupiers didn't attack unguarded Eingev. *1729 we earn a General. Is that a record for the latest earning of first General? Order peasant. *1730 Victory at Sea: our pair of carracks substantially damaged Spain's singleton *1731 fort at Calusa. Order Pikeman. Apprentice Workers looking a bit unusable so cut the money from "1@200" to "3@0". Victory at Sea: our pair of carracks sink Spain's carrack. *1733 order peasant. *1734 Apprentice Workers; research University 11 @ 300. Holland makes peace and breaks alliance. Fort at Tappan. *1735 Horse Artillery. Research Convoying, which all other GPs have, so it's just 7 @ 200. Cut University to 99@0. Order peasant. *1736 order Horse Artillery. *1737 fort at Gazit. *1739 eight units attack Running Bear. Victory at Sea: our pair of carracks sink another of Spain's carracks. Capture Running Bear (which has a level-2 iron mine served by a port) but at some cost: 2 Pik, 2 Arq, Bow, Gen, Kt, and HArty (k) v 1 Pikeman (k); fort destroyed. How could a single Pikeman and an emplaced Royal Artillery do so much harm when we had such a range of supporting forces? Category:Map keys (Imp2) Category:Game reports (Imp2) 2